


Love Withers and Blooms

by ariannadi



Series: Fire Emblem Hell [5]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Family, Family Drama, Fluff and Angst, Hoshido | Birthright Route, One-Sided Attraction, Romance, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-17
Updated: 2018-01-17
Packaged: 2019-03-05 04:02:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13379742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariannadi/pseuds/ariannadi
Summary: She chose the light, and the darkness suffered for it.“Takumi was painfully aware that the newest king of Nohr despised him greatly.”





	Love Withers and Blooms

**Author's Note:**

> Happy new year! Have some angst (and fluff) haha x3
> 
> Plz don’t kill me for this ;w;
> 
> (I also used the Japanese names this time around cause I wanted to be extra x3)

Takumi was painfully aware that the newest king of Nohr despised him greatly.

Such a revelation came about the day he and Kamui, having been recently engaged to one another, traveled to the capital of the neighboring country in order to personally invite her distant siblings to their wedding, which was to be held in the spring.

Princess Camilla was ecstatic, something Kamui had predicted beforehand, but King Leon's once-joyous expression at seeing his sister again had become nothing short of _enraged._

"Is this some kind of joke?" the young king demanded of Takumi the moment Camilla whisked Kamui away to her chambers to catch up on all things. The Hoshidan prince simply quirked a brow at the blonde man, crossing his arms in defiance.

"A joke, Your Highness?" he quipped, and the king let out an audible growl.

"Don't act stupid," Leon barked. "Are you truly engaged to her? Have you truly asked for Kamui's hand in matrimony?"

Takumi was almost tempted to simply let the question hang in the air between them, but he had promised to remain tolerant of his fiancee's brother. The last thing she needed was another helping of guilt to pile onto her chest.

"Yes, I have. And she accepted," he answered, lowering his arms. "I fell in love with her during the war, but only truly began courting her after I had discovered the truth of her heritage and asked for my brother's blessing. And..." he sighed breathily, "By the grace of the gods, she reciprocated my affections."

King Leon looked very much like his namesake in that moment - a feral beast ready to tear Takumi's throat out with his teeth. "Marx and Elise's lives weren't enough for you, were they?" he spat. "Now you plan to take Kamui away from us for good. Just when I thought I had her back..."

Such a statement left the prince curious. "You believe she would've returned to Nohr?" he analyzed, and Leon's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Yes, I did." he confirmed, staring toward the marble floor beneath them. "My intelligence is renowned among many, though I suppose I can't always be correct."

Takumi felt a sense of remorse for the other man, realizing then that he and the Nohrian king had a lot more in common than simply being the youngest royal sons.

"You love her." It wasn't a question.

Leon just chuckled dishearteningly. "Perhaps," he nearly whispered, closing his eyes. "But it doesn't matter much now, does it? Not that it ever did. She chose you, after all."

The prince didn't respond, his eyes carefully observing the way the young king's form seemed to crumple the more he came to terms with the situation.

"I'm convinced I could have made her happy... the same way she once did for me long ago." Leon admitted, his expression distant. "Kamui has always been quite dear to me, though our positions prevented me from expressing such feelings when I had the chance."

"You attempted to murder her," Takumi retorted, his walls building upward once again. "There, in the swamp, you told her you hated her. I watched the entire interaction unfold."

Leon wasn't fazed. "You once claimed to hate her as well, if I recall correctly," the king threw back at him with a glare. "We don't always mean the things we say, Prince Takumi. And sometimes the actions of those in command bring out the very worst in us. If the tables were turned, I don’t doubt you would have done the same."

Despite the way his stomach curled at the mere thought of raising a hand against his beloved, Takumi knew the king had a point. Had Kamui chosen Nohr instead of Hoshido, there was indeed a possibility that he would've been forced to confront her at some point.

"I suppose we'll never know for sure," he quietly concluded, and Leon just scoffed. It was then that Kamui came rushing into the room, the sound of her bare feet hitting the floor announcing her arrival just before she actually appeared.

"Takumi! Leon! Big Sister Camilla wants us all to partake in the tea and cookies she prepared! Come to her chambers when you're done speaking with each other, okay?" the dragon princess requested of them both with a bright smile. 

The Hoshidan prince nodded once, regarding his betrothed with a boyish smirk that had become especially hers. "Of course, dear. We'll be there momentarily." Leon, however, remained silent, and chose to avert his eyes from the woman instead.

Kamui bit at her lip shyly, then took off once again in a whirlwind of silver and blue. Once the room had fallen silent, the king cleared his throat, adjusting the collar around his neck and folding his arms behind his back - the air about him even colder than it had previously been.

"Prince Takumi," he acknowledged with the slight nod of his head, then proceeded to exit the room - though he ultimately did not follow after Kamui.

 

* * *

 

The next time Takumi would interact with the Nohrian king was the day he was to be married to Kamui. His fiancee was off in her chambers being tended to by nearly every woman within the palace, and the prince, already dressed in his kimono, resorted to idly wandering about the outskirts of the temple until he was sought out by Ryouma.

The last thing he had expected, however, was an apprehensive King Leon approaching him out of the blue. Truth be told, Takumi wasn't even positive that the man had confirmed his traveling to Hoshido in order to attend the ceremony.

"King Leon," Takumi greeted with a respectful bow, though he was certain it would do nothing to quash the bitterness already brewing between them both.

"I planned on remaining in Nohr," the blonde confessed, ignoring Takumi's mannerisms entirely. "I told myself it was pointless putting myself through so much agony, but found that one question in particular always surfaced no matter what I contemplated." The king's wine-colored eyes rose from beneath his disheveled hair to meet Takumi's, and there they remained, like a dagger to his throat. "It's no secret that I wish our roles were reversed. I would do anything and everything to make Kamui happy. I just wish to know, Prince Takumi, if you intend to do the same? Do you promise to love her unconditionally? Do you vow to ensure that she remains safe and sound despite her many enemies? Do you swear to never take advantage of her pure and wholesome heart?"

Takumi was speechless, and in that moment he almost felt guilty for standing between such a devoted man and the woman he loved. 

"King Leon," the prince uttered, hoping he sounded sincere, "I will do everything within my power to provide Kamui with the love and happiness she deserves. I would die before letting her succumb to even an ounce of pain or remorse. She will be protected, and she will be treasured above all else. This I promise you."

He wasn't sure if the king believed him completely, _could_ believe him completely, but he seemed satisfied with his answer.

”Then...” Leon sighed, “I wish you both the very best.” And with a bow, he turned and walked away.

 

* * *

 

Takumi had frequently regarded Kamui returning to Hoshido as being the most hectic day of his life.

But then came the day his son was born.

It had begun like any other, he and Kamui had taken a short walk around the palace gardens before returning to their chambers for morning tea, only for the woman to begin complaining of a stabbing pain in her abdomen. Everything after that had been nothing short of a whirlwind; Sakura and her entourage arrived, Kamui was lowered onto a futon, and Takumi was sent away (not without avidly protesting, of course).

Hours later, just as the sun was about to set and the man was about to wear a hole in the floor from his frantic pacing, Sakura came to retrieve him, happily announcing that both his wife and newborn son were doing perfectly fine. The breath completely deflated from Takumi’s lungs the moment he stepped into his and Kamui’s room, as his eyes had instantly settled on his wife and the small baby against her bosom, the latter having been bundled in a snowy rabbit fur.

Takumi made his way to where Kamui was resting, pressing a loving kiss to her lips once he had settled beside her. He then gently ran a finger through the downy tufts of silver hair on their son’s head, smiling in endearment when the infant let out a massive yawn that shook his tiny frame.

 _Kisaragi._ That was the name they had decided on previously, and Takumi found that it suited the babe quite well.

”He’s absolutely beautiful, my love,” the man breathed, his voice teeming with emotional pride.

Kamui hummed in agreement as she leaned into his chest. “Yeah... we didn’t do half-bad, did we?” she giggled softly.

”Not in the least,” Takumi said, the smile he wore nearly painful in its intensity.

The abrupt sound of a growling stomach cut the intimate moment all too short, prompting the prince to eye his wife curiously.

”Sorry...” she murmured sheepishly, “Now that I think about it, I haven’t actually eaten anything since this morning.”

Takumi laughed at that, pressing his lips to her forehead. “Not to worry, my dear. Your dashing prince is here to help.” He rose from the futon, not before leaving another kiss to the top of Kisaragi’s head. “How does a bowl of sukiyaki and rice sound?”

”Amazing, actually,” Kamui responded in gratitude. “Thank you, darling.”

Takumi nodded with a smile, then quietly exited their quarters and made a beeline for the kitchens. It was likely that everyone in the palace knew of Kisaragi’s birth at this point, and the prince didn’t wish to be pulled aside to discuss it. He just wanted to return to his wife and child as quickly as possible.

One of the servants assisted him in gathering a tray of food, and then he was off once again, but was stopped on the way back to his chambers by someone completely unexpected.

”King Leon?” Takumi questioned in confusion, nearly dropping the tray in his hands. The blonde man approached him then, tall in stature but tired in his movements.

”Prince Takumi. Forgive me, I didn’t mean to startle you. I had a meeting this afternoon with your brother and our advisors and it ran rather late. He’s offered me a room here for the evening. I was simply looking for the baths.”

”I see,” Takumi replied awkwardly. “Well, uh, they’re in the very back of the palace,” he said, gesturing with his chin. “I’d guide you there myself but I’m a little busy.”

”I gathered as much,” Leon smirked. “For you and Kamui?” he asked, pointing at the tray of food.

”Just Kamui,” the prince answered. “She was in labor for most of the day. Our son was born a little over an hour ago.”

The king’s brow twitched slightly, but he remained passive. “I hadn’t realized she was due already. Congratulations to you both.”

”Thank you,” Takumi replied, shifting from foot to foot.

There was an uncomfortable moment of silence before Leon spoke again. “I assume the babe is healthy?” he asked.

”Yes. He looks so much like Kamui.”

The king nodded, staring at nothing in particular.

”King Leon...” Takumi attempted, though even he wasn’t sure for what. Comfort, perhaps?

”I can’t say I’m not envious,” the blonde spoke under his breath. “I would have made her queen. I sometimes fantasize about such an existence...” He shook his head, then slowly met Takumi’s eyes. “She’s happy?”

”Very much so.” Takumi assured him, thinking back to the way she had gazed upon him and their baby with nothing but love.

Leon nodded in acceptance. “I’m glad one of us is, at the very least.” he said with a sad smile.

”Takumi! Takumi!” came a slightly panicked voice from behind the two men. Takumi turned to face the oncoming individual, which turned out to be Sakura.

”Sister,” he acknowledged while she was catching her breath. “Is everything alright?”

”Oh? Oh, yes!” she gasped, bowing in apology. “Forgive me, I just forgot to leave some herbs for Kamui in case she experiences any discomfort. Will you take them to her for me?”

”Of course,” Takumi answered, and Sakura delicately placed the bag of medicine next to the plate of food on the tray he still held. When he looked up again he noticed Leon studying Sakura with a quizzical expression, and that’s when an idea struck him.

”Sakura, King Leon was searching for the baths before we started talking. Perhaps you could guide him there in place of myself?” he requested of her. Only then did Sakura seem to register the Nohrian man’s presence, the princess nearly squealing as she rotated on her heel and bowed to him half a dozen times.

”F-forgive my rudeness, Your Highness! I-I didn’t even see you standing there!”

Leon’s lips quirked slightly in amusement. “It’s quite alright, Princess Sakura. And I would be most grateful for your assistance, if it’s no trouble.”

”N-no, not at all!” the girl insisted. “If you’ll just follow me...”

The king of Nohr nodded in farewell to Takumi as he and Sakura departed, and the prince could make out the beginnings of a pleasant conversation between them as they descended further down the corridor. 

 _Maybe they... nah, that’d be too convenient._ Takumi thought, but his face broke out in a smile as he continued his journey back to Kamui and Kisaragi. He heard the telltale sound of a baby’s cry just as he rounded the corner to the bedrooms, and sighed to himself, knowing it was going to be a long night.

But truly, there was nowhere else he would rather be.

**Author's Note:**

> *starts high-key shipping takukamu*
> 
> *starts low-key shipping leosaku*
> 
> Yes, I was implying that Leon and Sakura hit it off there at the end, because honestly, they’re really sweet together and when I’m not s-supporting him with Kamui I’d do so with Sakura for sure ^^
> 
> Anywho, this drabble wouldn’t leave me alone, so I hoped you enjoyed it!! **Kudos and comments make my day bright n cheery :D**


End file.
